4 & 5, Union Bank Buildings, Ely Place, Holborn, London
153, Cheapside, 79, Regent Street, 435, West Strand, 290, Oxford Street, London. 30, Market Street, Manchester. Crystal Palace, Sydenham

L. & A. Pyke - London - 1874

Lionel & Alfred Pyke - London - 1881

The Abyssinian Gold Jewellery Company, Limited - London - 1889
Lionel and Alfred Pyke founded their business in 1866, they went into voluntary liquidation in 1909.
ABYSSINIAN GOLD JEWELLERY COMPANY, LIMITED.
The first annual general meeting was held on Tuesday at the Guildhall Tavern, King street, EC., Sir W. H. Pannell (chairman of the company) presiding.
The secretary (Mr W Hardy King) having read the notice convening the meeting. The Chairman said: I think I have reason to congratulate the shareholders at this their first meeting, inasmuch as the statements contained in the prospectus and the estimate then given as to the probable dividend that would be earned–when the directors said "the amount required to pay a dividend on the £37,500 of ordinary shares at the rate of 8 per cent." would probably be earned–have been more than realised. It is not usual,! think, especially in such a statement of figures as is presented to you to-day, for the anticipations of the directors to be exceeded during the first period of a company's trading, because experience teaches us that even in the apparent continuation of the business of an old company, as in the present instance, there is sure to be some loss, some extra expense from the transfer, that militates for a time against the profits. Therefore, when in our report we are able to point out that our anticipations as regards the trading have been in the first period of the company's existence exceeded, I think it is a matter of congratulation as between the directors and the shareholders (hear, hear) – more especially as we start by putting on one side £648, the difference between the estimated profit for the first period of the company's trading and the amount it was agreed to pay the liquidator of the old company, which amount has been transferred to reserve. So that if we had not considered it advisable to take that from the profits, the result of the trading for this company's period would have been another £200, and we should have augmented the reserve to that extent. Shortly, the result is that though we propose to declare a dividend of 4 1/2 per cent, for the half-year, or at the rate of 9 per cent, per annum, we could really if we had chosen so to do, have divided what we have earned during that period, which would have paid a dividend at the rate of 10 per cent, per annum. (Applause.) I am sure you will agree that that is a very successful result of the company's trading. (Hear, hear.) We have this additional cause for congratulation, that this is not the case of the inception of a new company. It is not a new trade "catching on," as it were; the company is really a continuation of the old Abyssinian Gold Company. We have the same old shops, the same system of trading, though we have the additional shops that we have from time to time opened, and are opening. It is interesting, in looking back at the history of the business, to know that from the time the old company started in November, 1887, and continued from that date to May last, when this company became the possessor by purchase, the business has always been carried on at a large profit. It is a proud position for the chairman of a trading company to occupy when he is able to make the statement that the business has never once during 10 years made a net loss, nor anything else but a net profit, at any one single branch. (Hear, hear.) He concluded by expressing the confident anticipation that there would be a continuance of the prosperous trading. (Hear, hear.) He moved the adoption of the report.
The resolution was unanimously adopted.
A vote of thanks to the chairman closed the proceedings.
Source: The Economist - 25th December 1897
Trev.